Official portrait of Elizabeth II as Queen of New Zealand in 2011
Biography
Elizabeth II (21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022), full name Elizabeth Alexandra Mary, was nominally the current monarch and current Head of State of the 15 Commonwealth kingdoms, including the United Kingdom. She succeeded her father George VI as British monarch on 6 February 1952 and accordingly became Queen of Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Pakistan, and Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), and was crowned on 2 June 1953 at the age of 27. During her reign, the number of countries headed by her increased or decreased. Currently, in addition to the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, 11 countries, including Jamaica, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize, Antigua and Barbuda, and Saint Kitts and Nevis, are honoured as national monarchs. Other former Commonwealth countries have been restructured into republics and have established themselves as new heads of state.
born
Elizabeth II was born by caesarean section at 2:40 a.m. on 21 April 1926 in her grandparents' home at 17 Bloomton Street, May Market, London.
Elizabeth at the age of 3 (1929)
Elizabeth II was the eldest daughter of the Duke of York and his wife (later George VI and Queen Elizabeth), who had been educated at home since childhood. Her history teacher, C. H· K. Martin is President of Eton College, in addition to learning a variety of languages (she is fluent in French). The Archbishop of Canterbury provided her with theological guidance and she has been a devout Anglican congregation.
Her great-grandfather was Prince Albert, her grandmother was Queen Victoria, her great-grandfather was Edward VII, her great-grandmother was Queen Alexandra from Denmark, her grandfather was King George V of England, and her grandmother was Queen Mary. Her father, King George VI, was still Duke of York, and her mother, Queen Elizabeth, was still Duchess of York.
In the order of succession to the British throne, Elizabeth was born as the third in line to the throne after her father. At that time, although his uncle Edward VIII was unmarried and had no heirs, Edward was young and rich in spring and autumn, and according to common sense, it was unlikely that the father and daughter of the Duke of York would inherit the English throne. In 1936, her uncle Edward VIII abdicated and her father George VI ascended the throne, thus becoming Elizabeth's presumed heir to the throne.
Succeed to the throne
In January 1936, his grandfather, George V, died. In December of the same year, her uncle Edward VIII, who had been on the throne for less than a year, abdicated in a dispute with the cabinet in order to marry Grace Simpson, and her father, the Duke of York, was appointed to the throne of Edward, becoming King of England and Emperor of India, for George VI. The ten-year-old Elizabeth's succession to the throne rose to the first, and she became the presumptive heir to the throne.
Elizabeth was only 13 years old when World War II broke out, and she and her sister Princess Margaret took refuge in Balmoral, Scotland. At that time, it was suggested that the two princesses should take refuge in Canada, but their mother objected: "The children cannot live without me, I cannot live without the king, and the king will not leave under any circumstances." In 1940 Princess Elizabeth made her first radio address to all the children in asylum.
In 1945 Princess Elizabeth persuaded her father to allow her to participate directly in assisting in the war. She joined the Women's Auxiliary Territorial Service, the Rear Defense Support Force, numbered 230873, Honorary Second Lieutenant Elizabeth Windsor, completed her driving and car repair training, becoming the first officially trained car mechanic in the royal family, and five months later was promoted to honorary subordinate commander. This was her first training with other children, and she is said to have enjoyed the experience so much that she later sent her children to school instead of having them study at home.
Elizabeth, while serving in the reinforcements, in April 1945
Elizabeth made her first foreign trip in 1947 and traveled to South Africa with her parents. On her 21st birthday, she gave a radio address to the Commonwealth and the Empire, vowing to devote her life to the service of the Commonwealth and the People of the Empire: "I swear before all that I will serve you, as well as the Families of the British Empire to which you and I belong, no matter how long or short. ”
On November 20, 1947, Elizabeth married Prince Philip of Greece. Philip was her third brother, and both of their grandmothers were Queen Victoria (Prince Philip swore an oath to renounce the greek throne before his marriage, and he had no title before Prince Philip, and was called Captain Philip Mountbatten). Elizabeth also holds the title of Duchess of Edinburgh.
During World War II, Princess Elizabeth (right) and Princess Margaret gave radio speeches to the nation
The marriage was ideal for a woman who was about to inherit the throne, as her husband was trained by the royal family but would not succeed to the throne of another country. However, this marriage was not deliberately arranged, and the relationship between the two went through many tests, and finally reached the insistence of herself. The tests included rumors of Philip's infidelity and the suspicion of Elizabeth's grandmother and parents that Philip's four sisters were all German princesses. At that time, his three older sisters were not invited to attend his brother's wedding; The mother was allowed to attend as she was born and raised in the UK.
After their marriage, the two lived in Clarence House in London. They have four children (see below). It is customary for Elizabeth to take the surname of Philip after marriage, but the Queen's mother and grandmother did not want to see elizabeth's accession to the throne after the House of Windsor ended up changing to the "Mountbatten Dynasty", so the Queen's children did not follow Philip's surname as usual, but retained the Windsor family status. The couple agreed that children should use Mountbatten-Windsor as their surname when they needed to, and signed a bill establishing it in 1960.
From 1951 onwards, George VI's health deteriorated, and Princess Elizabeth began to attend public meetings in place of her father. That year she visited Greece, Italy, Malta (where Philip was stationed with his army at the time), Canada, and Washington, D.C.
In January 1952, Elizabeth and Philip visited Australia and New Zealand. On 6 February, during their visit to Kenya, they encountered the death of George VI, who learned of her imminent succession at a treehouse hotel.
Queen's career – ascension to the throne and coronation
After receiving the news of her father's death, Elizabeth hastily returned to china to succeed to the throne. Elizabeth was chosen as the honorific title.
Coronation of Elizabeth II
Her grandmother, Queen Mary, died in March 1953, and as instructed by Mary on her deathbed, the coronation ceremony was held at Westminster Abbey on June 2 of the same year as scheduled and was first televised to an audience of 20 million Britons and nearly 100 million North American residents. The coronation dress was embroidered with Tudor roses from England, thistles from Scotland, leeks from Wales, clovers from Ireland, acacia from Australia, maple leaves from Canada, silver leaf fern from New Zealand, neptune flowers from South Africa, lotuses from India and Ceylon, and wheat, cotton, and jute from Pakistan.
Early climbing
In the early days of the Queen's succession, there was public opinion in the United Kingdom that a "new Elizabethan era" would come. But in fact, at that time, she had to face the decline of Britain's post-war national strength, the gradual disintegration of the British Empire, and the decline of the Empire that never set, and she tried to organize the British Commonwealth to maintain the relationship between Britain and the former territories. She continued to travel to commonwealth countries in an effort to maintain the special relationship between the former colonies and Britain, for example by contributing to maintaining good relations between Britain and South Africa and India.
Decolonization
The 1960s and 1970s were the height of decolonization. In particular, a large number of African countries became independent of Britain during this period and soon abolished her fuehrer status. For example, in 1965, in southern Africa, Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) unilaterally declared its independence, and Prime Minister Ian Smith proclaimed the Queen "Queen of Rhodesia", but the Queen refused to accept the title until 1970 , when the country "abolished the throne" and remodeled a republic. At that time, the international community did not recognize Rhodesia as an independent country.
The Queen and The Declining British Influence
The Queen has experienced a great deal of colonial independence and republicanism in the face of these former colonies, such as the 1975 constitutional crisis in Australia, which intensified Australia's opposition to the monarchy, indirectly leading to Australia's referendum in 1999 to decide whether to switch to a republican system.
Through the efforts of then-Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, on April 17, 1982, she formally signed a bill in Canada to transfer the right to amend the Canadian Constitution from the British Parliament to the Canadian Parliament, thus ending the special constitutional relationship between Canada and the United Kingdom.
In 1986, the Queen traveled to Australia to sign the Relations with Australia Act, which provided that the High Court of Australia had final jurisdiction, and the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in London, England, no longer had final jurisdiction over Australia.
In May 1987, the Queen supported the Governor-General of Fiji, Penaya Ganilao, in the use of executive power to negotiate with the army in a military coup, but in December of the same year, a second military coup d'état took place in Fiji, and Ganilao asked the Queen to resign, and the Fijian monarchy with the Queen as the Head of State was abolished.
Since the 1990s
The 1990s were a time when her and her royal family's support fell to a low point. She began paying taxes under public pressure. The breakdown of her eldest son's marriage to her daughter-in-law, Princess Diana of Wales, and the sudden death of the latter the following year, was criticized for her royal handling as "indifferent", and her support was eventually rebounded by the live television broadcast of the Queen's response to public pressure five days after Diana's death and on the eve of her funeral.
In 1991, after the Alliance's victory in the Gulf War, the Queen became the first British monarch to address a joint session of the U.S. Congress.
In 2002, she celebrated her 50th anniversary of her accession to the throne, when she toured the United Kingdom, made state visits to various Commonwealth countries, and attended many parades and concerts. In June, thousands of people gather outside Buckingham Palace for an event called 'Palace Party', where many musicians from all over the UK gather to perform. During the celebrations, Empress Wang died tragically.
Despite signs of republicanism on the rise, in 1999 Australia held a referendum to retain the monarchy. The 2008 Tuvalu referendum and the 2009 St. Vincent and Grenadines referendums both rejected proposals to restructure the republic. Polls in the UK in 2006 and 2007 showed a general recognition of the Queen. When she ascended the throne in 2012, polls showed her approval rating of more than 90%.
Public image
Since 2000, the public has found that Queen Elizabeth is showing more emotion in public. Although she maintained her solemn image of a monarch most of the time, she began smiling in public and shed tears at a Westminster Memorial Service for the victims of 9/11. Some have questioned the Queen's imminent abdication due to her age, while a Buckingham Palace spokesperson said the Queen had said in the past that she would not abdicate.
In 2007, the Queen's dedicated channel was launched on the video website YouTube, which, in addition to showing multiple royal clips, also broadcast the Queen's Christmas proclamation online for the first time, commemorating the 50th anniversary of her first tv Christmas proclamation. Buckingham Palace said that the Queen set a precedent by uploading clips to the website in the hope of passing the message to more people and bringing the younger generation closer.
6 February 2012 marks the 60th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's accession to the throne. To celebrate the Diamond Jubilee of the Enthronement, a series of celebrations were held across the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth kingdoms. The 86-year-old Queen issued a statement through Buckingham Palace, making it clear that she had no intention of abdicating the throne and "dedicated the rest of her life to the people".
She unveiled the London 2012 Olympics in the same year and starred herself in a short film in the opening ceremony, along with Daniel Craig, who played Agent James Pound. She also became head of state for the inauguration of the Olympic Games in two different countries, and she first hosted the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games in Montreal at the 1976 Summer Olympics.
In a 2012 speech by Queen Elizabeth II at Lambert House, Ron Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury of the Anglican Church of England and spiritual leader of the Anglican Church, responded that "the Queen has taken faith to heart when she looks at her role".
On 7 March 2019, the Queen posted for the first time on the social networking site Instagram while attending a public event.
Wang Fu died
On 9 April 2021, Buckingham Palace announced the death of Her Majesty's husband, Prince Philip, on the morning of the same day.
Confirmed COVID-19
On February 20, 2022, the queen, aged 95, tested positive for COVID-19.
The 70th anniversary of his accession to the throne
On 2 June 2022, the Queen became the first monarch in British history to celebrate the Platinum Jubilee.
On 2 June 2022, in London, England, the Platinum Jubilee Celebration celebrates the 70th anniversary of Queen Elizabeth II's accession to the throne
Serious illness and death
On 8 September 2022, Buckingham Palace said that the Queen's physical condition was worrying, and members of the royal family rushed to the Queen's residence; The day before, she had received Theras, the fifteenth Prime Minister of her career as Queen. At 2 p.m. on the same day, Queen Elizabeth died at Balmoral Fort at the age of 96.
The Queen's role in the UK
Political roles
Queen at the opening of the Welsh Assembly in 2011
As head of state, the Queen has the responsibility to protect the implementation of the Constitution. Inwardly, the Queen plays part of the national function in the UK. For example, preside over the opening of the Parliament, approve the Privy Council, the Royal Quasi-Parliament Bill, and meet with the Prime Minister.
In extroverted duties, the Queen represents the UK in the rest of the world. Examples include meetings with foreign ambassadors and Commonwealth High Commissioners, receiving visiting heads of State and visiting other countries overseas in support of uk-knack diplomatic and economic relations with countries around the world.
It is generally believed that the Queen has the right of consultation, the right of commendation and the right of warning in the current British constitutional monarchy. At present, the Queen still plays an important role in politics, especially in political crises, where she is not allowed to have a personal political position, and one of her duties is to ensure the stability of the political situation, to elect a Prime Minister who can be trusted by Parliament when the Cabinet falls, and to ensure that the head of government of the country is always in office. Specifically, the Queen must play a supra-partisan role in politics, playing a stabilizing and balanced role.
She maintains friendly relations with many politicians in different parties.
The Prime Minister has to meet with the Queen every week, which is very formal and serious. For the Prime Minister, meeting with the Queen may be more important than being questioned by the House of Commons, as the Prime Minister's reports to the Queen tend to be more detailed and frank. Even prime ministers who oppose the monarchy value meetings with the Queen. Every prime minister has spoken highly of his meeting with the Queen.
The Queen is an important part of the legislative process and together with the House of Lords and the House of Commons constitute the complete British Parliament. All drafts passed by Parliament must be signed by the Queen's Royal Pen to become bills. She also had the legal right to veto bills, but no English monarch had ever vetoed them since 1707.
The Queen is also administratively representative. The British government is officially known as "Her Majesty's Government" and is procedurally responsible for appointing ministers. In fact, according to the democratic constitutional practice of the United Kingdom, the Queen follows the advice of the Prime Minister rather than arbitrarily selecting ministers and officials. The Queen, at the request of the Prime Minister, may also exercise the power to dissolve Parliament in order to hold general elections. The leader of the party that wins the general election must wait for the Queen to invite him to become the new Prime Minister. The post of Prime Minister is generally held by the Leader of the Majority Party in the House of Commons, who then "advises" the Queen to appoint other Cabinet members. The British government is not accountable to the Queen, it is accountable to the House of Commons, that is, indirectly to the British electorate. The Queen is also involved in the country's judicial system, with the courts acting on her behalf and the Government prosecuting in her name.
In English law the Queen is a natural person and must obey the law like everyone else. But as head of state, the Queen cannot be prosecuted by prosecutors or accused by others, because the Queen is the symbol of the state and the embodiment of its sovereignty. However, whether the Queen will be able to become a party to the proceedings is uncertain. During the English Revolution in the 17th century, Parliament had accused Charles I of treason, but after Charles II came to power, the whole process was declared illegal.
As a monarch, she did not have to use a passport, because in the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth kingdoms, all passports were issued in her name, as were driving licences. However, she still needs to undergo security checks when she visits.
Military characters
The Queen, who served as supreme commander of Britain's Army, Navy and Air Force, was the only one to declare Britain in a state of war or peace. Both the British Army, the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force require new recruits to swear an oath of allegiance to the Queen. In contrast, the Queen also represents the state's acceptance of the oath of allegiance and fulfillment of guarantees to take care of all the lives and difficulties of all military personnel, and the Queen has a strong interest in all armed forces, both in the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth. She promised regular visits to military premises and ships to meet military personnel and their families at home and abroad. The Queen herself has served in the army. She served in the Rear Defense Support Force,D.N. Women's Support Unit during World War II, becoming the first officially trained car mechanic in the royal family.
Elizabeth learned to drive and maintain trucks while in the British Reserve
The Queen and other members of the royal family hold various honorary positions in the armed forces. The Queen also meets regularly with the Chief of Staff and the Chiefs of Staff of the British Ministry of Defence. She also maintains contact with the military through her Secretary for Defence Affairs. In addition, when Britain was involved in the war, soldiers and their families often liked to write to the Queen, saying they knew they were fighting for Britain and the Queen.
Social roles
The British monarch needs to fulfill important social and cultural responsibilities. The Queen has provided a focal point for the United Kingdom, promoting its unity and pride and stabilizing it. In addition, the Queen is particularly supportive of the public service and voluntary sectors. Through "regular visits", the Queen travels to every part of the United Kingdom, representing the unity of the United Kingdom.
When there is a celebration or tragedy in the country, the Queen will pay tribute on behalf of the country. For example, mourning at the annual memorial day for the victims of war, or celebrating the country's sports victory at celebrations. The Queen also hosts a "Garden Party" that invites guests from a variety of social positions, most of whom are service representatives of community charities or public sector organisations. The Queen also supports the nation in serving others and serves as patron or president of various charities.
Queen's role in the Commonwealth
In addition to being a British monarch, the Queen is also the head of the Grand Britain Association and has attended successive Great Britain Council summits. Although the position is not hereditary, after the 2018 meeting, the Great Britain Council countries agreed that the next head of state would be succeeded by Crown Prince Charles.
The Queen is also the Queen of fifteen countries outside the United Kingdom, but due to her long stay in the United Kingdom, she will not, in principle, and has no time to participate in any political activities in those countries. The Queen will appoint a local Prime Minister or a "recommended" candidate of Parliament to serve as Governor-General, and to perform the duties of the Queen herself in the local area, and because the Queen has no practical role in those countries, there will even be people in those countries who do not know that she is the head of state of her own country.
Nevertheless, the Queen is involved in some of the non-political activities of these countries, such as regular travels to countries at a younger age, cards to write congratulations to every canadian and couple of diamond jubilee couples,[52] and the decision to award the medal system at the suggestion of the Prime Minister. Former Australian Prime Minister Tony Albert proposed to the Queen to reinstate the knighthood of the Australian Order and conferred the title of "Knight of the Order of Australia" on her husband, Prince Philip, but after the success, Albert was considered outdated and widely ironic.
Because the Queen is only the symbolic head of the Commonwealth Kingdom and lacks substantive political significance, her role in international conflicts is contradictory under the Queen's incongruity with the foreign policies of the various kingdoms. For example, in the 1970s, when the United States invaded Grenada, seven countries, including Jamaica, which she ruled, sent troops to help the United States invade Grenada, which also belonged to itself, and the British government expressed its opposition to sending troops. The incident was jokingly called "the Queen's own government, opposed to loyal to her own army, invading another country ruled by herself." ”
Personal image
The Queen is a symbol of national unity in the minds of the British in general. And her good character was often an example of personal conduct for all the people, and even of the citizens of other Commonwealth kingdoms headed by the Queen, and successive British Prime Ministers, whether he supported the monarchy or not, gave the Queen a very high evaluation. The Queen's image has also helped the UK to enhance its soft power in the Commonwealth and the international community.
Since the Queen has ruled more than thirty countries before and after, she is also the person who has appeared in the largest number of stamps and currencies in the history of the world, so people around the world are familiar with the appearance of the Queen.
The Queen is very formal in diplomatic occasions, and there are many ceremonies when meeting her. Any more intimate communication, such as touching, is not allowed.
However, in private, there are reports that the queen likes some "offensive" humor, and her maids often "report" new gossip in the palace to her. Privately, the Queen was very approachable and genuinely caring for the attendants who worked for her, and it was said that the Queen was well aware of the names of her maids and attendants. Many people who have been invited to royal activities told the media that in fact, the queen has a great sense of humor, likes to be told jokes by others, is very good at imitating celebrities, and often laughs. In addition, she is also quite fascinated by the technology video game Wii, before Princess Kate married into the royal family, she once gave Prince William a new Wii game console and Wii Sport at Christmas, but the queen rushed to play with her grandchildren.
The level of british popular support for the Queen
The Queen has always been supported and loved by the British people. According to a 2001 BBC survey, 83% of the British public acknowledged the Queen's sense of responsibility; 79% of the population believe that the Queen has represented the UK well abroad; More than 90 per cent of the population believe that the Queen's work is excellent, good or average, while only 9 per cent believe that the Queen's work performance is poor.
A 2008 survey commissioned by the BBC showed that about 78 per cent of the population believed that the UK should continue to maintain the royal family, and 80 per cent of respondents believed that the UK should continue to implement a monarchy for 30 years.
British support for the royal family remains high
Titles and titles
Born until 11 December 1936: Her Royal Highness Lord Elizabeth of York
11 December 1936 – 20 November 1947: Her Royal Highness Princess Elizabeth
20 November 1947 – 6 February 1952: Her Royal Highness Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh
6 February 1952 – 8 September 2022: Duchess of Lancaster, Lord of the Isle of Man, Her Majesty the Queen
Elizabeth II herself held the title of Duke of Lancaster in England and was the supreme leader of the Church of England. She also holds many titles and ranks in Commonwealth countries. She had her own monarchical title in each of the kingdoms she ruled. In the royal possessions of the Channel Islands and Moe Island, she is known as the Duke of Normandy (informally) and the Lord of the Isle of Man, respectively.
From her marriage in 1947 until her accession to the throne in 1952, she was known as the Duchess of Edinburgh by her husband's title. From her accession to the throne in 1952 until 1953, Elizabeth II's official title and title was "To God Hunn, Queen of Great Britain, Ireland and the British Dominions, Protector of Christianity Elizabeth II". She was enthroned as Queen in South Africa, but in Australia and Canada, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, she was held the title of "Her Majesty Elizabeth II, by the Grace of God, Queen of the Kingdom and queens of her other kingdoms and territories, Head of the Commonwealth, Guardian of the Faith".
ancestor
Elizabeth II's ancestors included many English monarchs, dating back to the Wessex dynasty in the 7th century. She is also a descendant of the Scottish Royal Family, dating back to the 9th century. She also has ties to the Oldest Danish royal family in Europe, and her great-grandmother is Alexandra of Denmark. She is also related to most of the european royal family, and her cousin monarchs include Queen Margaret II of Denmark, King Harald V of Norway, former King Juan Carlos I of Spain and King Carl XVI Gustav of Sweden, and former King Albert II of Belgium is her distant cousin (as all ancestors were from the Saxon-Coburg-Gotha dynasty). She was also related by blood to the deposed Greek, Romanian, German and Russian royal families (through her husband's descendants of the Oldenburg dynasty).
It is worth mentioning that because Elizabeth II's paternal ancestor was originally the Saxon-Coburg-Gotha dynasty, her blood name was Wettin.
British Royal Family Assets
According to Forbes, the British royal family has a huge wealth of 22 billion pounds (about 182.6 billion yuan), but not all of this wealth belongs to the queen.
So how much money does the Queen have, and where does that money come from? According to the Times Rich List, the Queen's net worth in 2022 is £5 million more than last year (about 41.5 million yuan) and 20 million pounds (about 166 million yuan) more than in 2020, and her net worth is now estimated at 370 million pounds (about 3.071 billion yuan).
The Queen obtained this wealth through three different channels: annual monarchy appropriations, private finances, and inheritances.
It is reported that before receiving the "Monarch's Appropriation", the Queen must first hand over the income from the Royal Property Management Company and then return it to her with 15% of the profits.
However, starting in 2017, the Queen has been approved to receive a 25% profit for a period of 10 years to cover the renovation costs of Buckingham Palace.
It is estimated that in 2021-2022, the Queen's monarchy will allocate 86.3 million pounds (about 716 million yuan). Most of the Queen's private finances came from the Duchy of Lancaster. It is a 18,000-hectare private estate that is permanently entrusted to the future kings and queens of the United Kingdom. The profits currently received annually from the Principality are handed over to Queen Elizabeth to finance the monarch's official and private expenses.
Last year, the Duchy of Lancaster made more than £22 million (about 183 million yuan) in profits. However, the epidemic has caused considerable losses to the royal family's finances. In September 2020, custodians of the royal family's private finances announced that a gap of more than £36 million (about 299 million yuan) could appear on the royal family's balance sheet due to a significant reduction in the number of people visiting and visiting royal landmarks.
In addition to the income of the Duchy of Lancaster, the Queen's "private wallet" includes Balmoral estates in the Scottish Highlands, stallions, fruit farms and land across the UK, as well as numerous royal art and fine jewellery collections.
Balmoral Estate
Lancaster Estates
Sandringham Manor
The royal collection includes more than 7,000 oil paintings, 40,000 watercolors and drawings, 150,000 prints by the Old Masters, as well as numerous handicrafts, rare books and the Crown Jewels preserved in the Tower of London.
In addition to monarchy appropriations and private finances, the Queen has her own inheritance, including balmoral and Sandringham manors passed down to her by her father, as well as an inheritance worth between £50 million and £70 million (about 415 to 581 million yuan) left to her by her mother in 2002, and a legacy of £10 million (about 83 million yuan) left to her after Prince Philip's death last year.
Despite having so much wealth, the queen was in fact notoriously frugal, and it is said that she never went out with cash. For the past 30 years, the Queen has been using nail polish for £8 (about 66 yuan) from the same brand, and her biggest expense is her horse, which cost her about 600,000 pounds (about 4.98 million yuan).
It is worth mentioning that although royal property management companies have legal tax exemption rights under the regulations of the British Parliament, the Queen is not legally liable to pay income tax, capital gains tax or inheritance tax. However, it is understood that the Queen voluntarily paid taxes to the UK Revenue and Customs Service, but the specific details of the payment were kept strictly confidential.
Royal Property Office: The mysterious estate empire behind the Queen of England
The Royal Property Office, one of Europe's largest real estate developers, is directly related to Elizabeth II. But strictly speaking, the company is neither owned by the 96-year-old Queen nor owned by the government. Its actual ownership is a complex legal issue.
Regent Street is one of the most famous streets in London. The 1.3-kilometre-long street intersects the Soho and Mayfair districts in the heart of the city's West End. Regent Street is lined with well-known shops, bars and restaurants.
Royal Estate owns almost all of the property in Regent Street in London's West End
From a real estate point of view, it is definitely one of the most prime locations. It is worth noting that almost every inch of this street is owned by a company, the Crown Estate.
This is obviously not an ordinary company. In addition to the neighbourhoods of central London, the Royal Property Office owns properties across the UK, from castles and villas to agricultural land and forests to commercial districts and shopping centres. It also owns more than half of the UK's coastal area, thus holding auction rights to lucrative commercial activities such as wind farms.
It manages property assets worth at least £14.1 billion and is one of the largest real estate developers in Europe. But who does this real estate empire belong to? This is a long question.
"The Royal Property Office belongs to the ruling monarch," the company explains on its website: "But it is not the private property of the monarch – the monarch cannot sell it, and its income does not belong to the monarch." ”
The company also made it clear that the Royal Property Office was not owned by the British government and was operated independently as a company by an independent organisation. The Royal Family is not involved in its administration.
There is also a difference between the wealth of the Royal Treasury and the personal wealth of the Queen. Elizabeth II, for example, was the owner of Balmoral Castle and Sandringham Manor, two mansions she inherited. According to the May 2021 edition of the Sunday Times Rich List, Queen Elizabeth II has a personal net worth of £365 million. The Queen's family's private stamp collection alone, worth as much as £100 million, is known as the Royal Philatelic Collection.
While the issue of ownership by the Royal Property Authority is not easy to articulate, it is clear that the company is very effective. According to its annual report for the 2019/2020 financial year (ending 31 March 2020), the company's profit for the financial year reached a record £345 million. While the report for the 2020/21 financial year has yet to be released, it is clear that its business is bound to be affected by the COVID-19 pandemic as well. The lengthy lockdown has resulted in multiple commercial tenants at the Royal Property Office defaulting on their millions of pounds in rent.
The Royal Property Authority, which hands over its annual revenue generation to the UK government, said its explicit aim was to "create lasting and shared prosperity for the country".
However, the government will return 25% of the profits to the Queen and the Royal Family as part of the Sovereign Grant, which is used annually to pay for the royal family's official duties and the maintenance of the royal palace. This year's allocation, for example, is £85.9 million, which is 25% of the Royal Property Office's annual profits. Thus, this means that the Queen's personal wealth is directly related to the performance of the Royal Property Office.
Heir to the throne
After the death of Queen Elizabeth II, Crown Prince Charles succeeded him as King of the United Kingdom.
Prince Charles of England
Prince Charles spent his life preparing for the throne. Now, at the age of 73, that moment has finally arrived.
Charles, the oldest ever heir to the British throne, became King Charles III on Thursday after the death of his mother, Queen Elizabeth II. The date of his coronation has not yet been determined.
After an apprenticeship that began as a child, Charles embodied the modernization of the British monarchy. He was the first heir not to be educated at home, the first to earn a college degree, and the first to grow up under the growing media attention as respect for the royal family faded.
The chaotic situation of his divorce from the beloved Princess Diana alienated him by many, and he also tightened the rules prohibiting royals from interfering in public affairs, and intervened in debates on issues such as environmental protection and building protection,
Carrying the image of a "negative man" and an old antique, Charles is still not popular with the British people.
Historian Ed Owens said: "He now finds himself in the autumn of his life and must carefully consider how to shape his image as a public figure. "He was far less popular than his mother."
For the soon-to-be-succeeded King of England, he will be greeted by the cheers of the British people and can unite the whole country or whether British society will be further torn apart, we will wait and see.